Join us for the Pumpkin Holler Hunnered race on October 19th & 20th. You will agree we have found a little slice of heaven in Cherokee County, nestled along the beautiful Illinois River.
The Pumpkin Holler race includes a distance for just about everyone. 100 Mile, 100K, 50K, 25K and 10+ Mile races ensure everyone sees the beauty of rural eastern Oklahoma. The gravel roads and frequent aid stations provides the perfect environment for your first long-distance race.
This is one of those ultras that you have to do. Distinct, positive, scenic with a personality all its own, in a beautiful place I otherwise would never have discovered. Best possible aid and volunteers.
The Gravel Smasher is a 30, 60, or 70 mile gravel bike race held on Sunday, October 20th.
The Gravel Smasher follows the Pumpkin Holler Hunnerd course and shares the road with the 100 mile runners as they finish their final loop. The Gravel Smasher course offers several rolling hills and some more challenging hills to go with the unbelievable beauty of the Illinois river and the J.T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve.
We are excited to support Activate Oklahoma as our charitable partner. Activate Oklahoma encourages healthy lifestyles through inclusive, family friendly, and supportive opportunities that create and strengthen healthy fitness habits.
Join us in our support by donating to Activate Oklahoma so they can share your passion with others. Donate Here
The Pumpkin Holler race is set in the middle of Cherokee County and runs right next to the beautiful Illinois River. Tahlequah is deeply immersed in Native American tradition and history. With the newly designed belt buckle and finishers medals we hope to represent some of that history.
Did you know that Wilson Rawls novel “Where the Red Fern Grows” was set in the Ozark hills in and around Tahlequah Oklahoma? You also run right past the J.T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve. The scenery around Pumpkin Holler is spectacular!
Pumpkin Holler derives its name not because it is near Halloween but because there is “Pumpkin Holler” history. There is literally a small community on the course called Pumpkin Holler!
Check out our History Page for information on the Pompkin Holler name and history of the Pumpkin Hollow area of Cherokee County.
Pumpkin Holler also boasts some of THE BEST aid stations and aid station volunteers around. Most of our volunteers are experienced ultra-runners and know how to take care of you. They feed you, hug you (if you need it) and get you in and out of the aid stations and on your way to the finish!
Details of each of our aid stations can be found on our Aid Page. Take a minute and get to know our volunteers.
Date | Event | Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Friday, Oct 18th | Packet Pickup | 10:00am - 5:00pm | RunnersWorld Tulsa 3920 S Peoria Ave, Tulsa, OK Map & Directions |
Saturday, Oct 19th | On-site Registration & Packet Pickup | 6:00 - 9:00am | Eagle Bluff Resort, 9800 Hwy 10, Tahlequah, OK Map & Directions |
100 Mile & 100K Racer Check In - Mandatory | 6:00 - 7:00am | Eagle Bluff Resort | |
Early Start for 100 Mile (optional) | 6:00am | Eagle Bluff Resort | |
100 Mile and 100K Start (31 hour limit) | 7:00am | Eagle Bluff Resort | |
50K Racer Check-in & Packet Pickup | 7:00 - 8:00am | Eagle Bluff Resort | |
50K Start (30 hour limit) | 8:00am | Eagle Bluff Resort | |
25K & 10 Mile Racer Check-in & Packet Pickup | 8:00 - 9:00am | Eagle Bluff Resort | |
25K & 10 Mile Start (29 hour limit) | 9:00am | Eagle Bluff Resort | |
Sunday, Oct 20th | Gravel Smasher Registration & Packet Pickup | 7:00 - 8:00am | Eagle Bluff Resort - Upper Parking Lot |
Gravel Smasher Start | 8:00am | Eagle Bluff Resort - Upper Parking Lot | |
Cut-off for all Runners and Cyclists | 2:00pm | Eagle Bluff Resort |
The course, in case you haven’t heard, is relatively flat! “Relatively” is a term for what someone would describe the course as if all they did was drive it before stating that it is relatively flat. This person would happen to be our founder, Ken "Trail Zombie" Childress. Since then we have made Ken run it and he has definitely agreed that it is indeed NOT relatively flat! In fact it is somewhat hilly. But if you are a decent climber it is a PR course. For every uphill there is an even better long downhill on the backside. Even with the hills, Pumpkin Holler is the perfect race for someone doing their first 100.
The Start/Finish area is at Eagle Bluff Resort located at 9800 HWY 10 northeast of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. There is plenty of parking within Eagle Bluff. Eagle Bluff provides access to showers and restroom facilities.
Finish line activities include campfires, hot food, ample aid station supplies, music and spontaneous dance parties.
Driving directions to the start/finish area at Eagle Bluff Resort can be found on Google maps by clicking here.
From Tahlequah:
If you have reserved a campsite at Eagle Bluff Resort you can park in or near it. Please don’t block any of the roads, especially the run course.
If you don’t have a campsite, you are welcome to park in the lot across from the Eagle Bluff convenience store.
Please don’t park near the start / finish line. It may look tempting to only walk a few feet to your race, but you may return to find you need a ride into Tahlequah since your vehicle has been towed.
There are plenty of tent camping sites at Eagle Bluff Resort near the start/finish area. Eagle Bluff has upgraded many campsites including more RV hookups.
You can make reservations online by clicking here.
You can also call to make a reservation: 1-800-OK-RIVER (1-800-657-4837).
Some people prefer 'Holiday Inn' camping. There are several hotels in the Tahlequah area. You can find a list provided by Tour Tahlequah.